Photos by Alf Johnston, MAKIN' TRACKS Jim Waters, John Twine and Fran Greig

Our convoy, with Alf Johnston in the lead, “off track” and heading overland to the next GPS search When Rocketsfrom thefell Sky location

Pam Waters cooking up a storm

Jim Waters and John Greig holding Jim’s find of a piece of rocket motor casing

It had been a very hard and frustrating day; tough on the vehicles and tough on us. We had succeeded in reaching two of a number of GPS locations we wanted to examine and had found nothing. The search had taken us across twenty kilometres of trackless desert. Sand dunes and spinifex clumps were the order of the day. We were tired, frustrated, and it was getting late, so we decided to call it a day and camp near a bore we had visited earlier. Arriving at the camp site, Jim and Pam Waters went for a bit of a wander, (as was their habit), to find the spot where they would lay out their swags for the night. Suddenly, Jim let out an almighty roar, and called us over to have a look. There at his feet was a ripped apart piece of metal about a and a half long and about 30 centimetres wide. Nothing unusual about that you might think? Well, this piece of metal was very unusual indeed. It was two skins of stainless steel, hinged longitudinally, with a honeycomb pattern We were on a cattle station east of Alice Springs. Our permit, which of lighter stainless keeping the two skins apart. And by the rainbow had been very difficult indeed to gain, only allowed us four days on hued and brownish stains on some parts of it, great heat had been site. It placed a number of restrictions on our movements, but did applied. But what was it? allow us access to each of our nominated GPS locations. Well, it was exactly the sort of thing we were looking for! It was, The day before Jim’s exciting find it had taken us most of the without question, a piece of a crashed rocket!! Eureka!! Jim had afternoon to access the area of the property we wanted to explore done it! Success on our first full day, purely by accident, and in a spot via a rough and little used station track which crossed about 60 nobody had suggested looking. The piece was later identified in kilometres of sand dunes. Knowing we had been granted the Alice Springs as coming from a Blue Streak rocket motor casing. That permit, a contact had very kindly provided us with the GPS location night, in celebration, Pam Waters cooked the first of a succession of of the start of the track. Another contact had given us the GPS extremely successful, and delicious, dampers and fresh bread. locations of areas they suggested might be worth examining for The objective we had set ourselves for this part of our 15,000 km crashed rocket remains. It had taken us just on a year of research to winter 2009 trip, was to try and find remnants of crashed rockets get to this point. launched from Woomera during its glory days, and we had already Next morning, we set off with the intention of accessing at least succeeded. Our mood quickly shifted from one of sombre reflection another three of our GPS locations. Again, it was necessary to and disappointment to one of euphoria. We were now all looking simply turn off another station track we were using at a convenient forward with great anticipation to tomorrow’s search. point and head cross country over the sand dunes and spinifex 34 TLCC NEWS JUNE 2010 Club members on this part of our 15,000 km, Winter, 2009 trip, were: Claude and Faye Donaldson – 80 series diesel auto Jim and Pam Waters – 4WD ■ UTES ■ VANS ■ TRUCKS ■ CARS 80 series diesel n Air Compressors n Air Conditioning Screens n Bike Racks n Bonnet Protectors n Boot Tidys n Bullbars Col Mawbey – 80 series diesel n Canopies n Car Fridges n Cargo Barriers n Cargo Liners n Cargo Mats n C.B. Equipment n Child Restraints n Dash Mats n Dicky Seats n Driving Seats n Dual Batteries n Electric Brakes n First Aid Kits Alf Johnston – 80 series diesel n Fire Extinguishers n Floor Mats n GPS n Hard Lids n Ipod® Interfaces n Ladder Racks n LCD Screens n Long Range Fuel n Luggage Pods n Mudflaps n Nudge Bars n Rak-a Van n Rear Seats John Twine – 100 series diesel n Recovery Gear n Roof Consoles n Rear Bars n Reversing Cameras/Sensors n Roof Pods n Roof John and Fran Greig – Racks n Roof Baskets n Roll Bars n Navigation n Seat Covers n Snatch Straps n Snorkels n Snow Chains n Side Steps n Spare Wheel Covers n Stone Guards n Suspension n Tail Gate Guards 78 series diesel n Tonneau Covers n Towbars n TV in car n Ute Liners n Ute Mats n Van Seats n Van Racking n Video/DVD Screens n Wheel Flares n Winches Windows Insulation material from a French Coralie John Greig plotting the next day’s search locations rocket motor

mounds to reach the GPS points. We were utilising three GPS’s plus my laptop with OziExplorer moving map EXPERT FITTING showing our progress. The previous E: [email protected] W: www.tandc.com.au day we had devised a system where Alf Johnston took the lead with A: Cnr King Georges Rd & Moorefields Rd, BEVERLY HILLS Fran and I close behind guiding him via our GPS and the laptop. (Just 300 from Roseland’s Shopping Centre) Open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm Col Mawbey followed running his GPS and his Hema Navigator. Saturday 8.30am to 2.00pm That enabled Alf to concentrate on the ground ahead to try to avoid the worst of it, particularly the ever present mulga stakes. We simply followed in Alf’s wheel tracks concentrating solely on the 9758 2500 navigation and giving him directions. Col provided back up. Jim and Pam Waters with their GPS provided additional back up. After about 12 kilometres of cross country travel we arrived at the first of the GPS positions. My GPS and OziExplorer told us we were within 2 metres of the location. Col’s GPS told him he was right on it. We were parked on the top of a dune with Col just one metre away right beside us. Col got out of his vehicle and wandered around to the front of it. Bending down he picked something up from the ground and nonchalantly asked: “What do you reckon this is?” He was holding a piece of silvery grey-black material. On closer examination, it was definitely man-made. It was about two and a half centimetres thick, concave on one side and convex on the other. The concave side was ground perfectly smooth and had obviously been fixed to something. The convex side was machined with alternating grooves about five millimetres wide. More searching turned up another dozen or so pieces. We also found pieces of grey cement like material, about three millimeters thick, with grooves on one side that mated perfectly with the grooves on the silvery grey- black material. So again, what was it? The location we were at was supposedly the site of a crashed French Coralie rocket motor. Could it have been some form of insulating material from the rocket motor? That answer turned out to be correct when the material was later identified as indeed being part of the insulation from a Coralie rocket motor. The grey cement like material was a fixing agent for the insulation material. Again euphoria gripped the group as we celebrated another successful find. The next GPS location was only about three kilometres away. It was supposed to be the site of a crashed dummy Italian satellite. Once more we headed off across country. Parked on the side of a dune our GPS’s told us we were right over the location, but a search of the immediate vicinity revealed nothing. As we had done the previous day, we spread out on foot and searched in ever increasing circles away from the GPS location.

TLCC NEWS JUNE 2010 35 MAKIN' TRACKS

Walking in the next swale, Col called out to us to come and have to pick up another that looked promising. Then, at an appropriate a look at some wiring and a sort of instrument he had just found. point we turned off the dunes to rejoin our original track. Searching further we uncovered two similar instruments, and then, Regaining that track however soon proved rather difficult, as we had bingo!, Col finds a complete cluster of about eight of them. Once to find a way through some thickly timbered country. Eventually, Alf again a sense of euphoria overtook us. We were absolutely elated at and Jim found a reasonable corridor which enabled us to rejoin the our success. This material was again later identified as being part of track. But just before we gained the track yours truly staked the side the instrumentation of a dummy satellite. of a tyre. Incredibly, that was the first and only puncture suffered by It had been a stunningly An instrument cluster from the Italian satellite the group on this part of the trip. The wheel was quickly changed successful day, but again it was housed in the nose cone of a Rocket and the puncture was repaired in camp that night. getting late and we needed to The camping spot we were aiming for was a location we had regain the track we had been passed previously. It was in a dry creek bed, nicely protected, and using as a reference. During surprisingly offered quite a number of half 44 gallon drums with the earlier search Alf had dunny lids attached. The area had obviously been used as a stock found another very faint and camp a long time ago. We presumed that the dunnies had simply indistinct track. As it seemed been left there for future use. Regrettably, they were much too out to head in the right direction in the open for our mixed group to use. we followed it for quite some Next morning, we broke camp at a leisurely hour, and as this was the distance. But just when it seemed like it would take us right back last day of our permit approval we headed back to the track we had to our original track it made a sweeping turn away and headed off used to access the area. After traversing it in the reverse direction in the wrong direction altogether. There was nothing else for it but for about 3 hours, we finally headed off towards Alice Springs. to cut across country again until we could rejoin our original track. The easiest going was on the tops of the dunes, so we followed a Now I know that someone is probably going to say: “Hang on a number of them, cutting across to the next as they petered out. minute, how could that piece of metal you found be off a Blue Streak OziExplorer moving map was really proving its worth. You could see rocket? No Blue Streak was ever actually launched from Woomera”. on the screen exactly which dune we were traveling on and how far And technically, they would be correct. But, Blue Streak rocket ahead it stopped, and how many dunes we needed to move over motors were used as the first stage of the giant Europa rocket, a

36 TLCC NEWS JUNE 2010 The Blue Streak rocket motor casing at Giles Weather Station – Repairing our only staked tyre does the casing material have a familiar look?

Unique “dunnies” found at Col Mawbey in front of our one of our camp sites convoy at the site of the instrument cluster find

number of which were from the diminutive RTV1 to the mighty launched from Woomera. Europa. Other rockets tested included: The French Coralie rocket , , and . motor was used as the Woomera also sent six into space, two of which ultimately second stage, whilst the third stage was a German rocket motor. An achieved earth orbit. One of those was WRESAT; an Australian Italian satellite was to be in the nose cone. designed and built satellite. And that was in 1967! Very few people And that same person might add a comment to the effect that: today are even aware that back then, had the capability, “You also said you were east of Alice Springs; I thought the rocket and the will, to design, build and launch its own satellite. The launch range headed out over Giles, because at Giles they have a big part vehicle was the tried and tested American Redstone Rocket. At that of a Blue Streak rocket that crashed nearby; how can that be if you time only Russia and the USA had successfully launched satellites found parts east of the Alice”? into earth orbit. Australia was thus the third country in the world to Well, the answer is that the Blue Streak rocket motor first stage of do so. The other satellite successfully launched from Woomera was the Europa Rocket was the subject of three test firings down the a British , which was sent into space from a Black Knight first established rocket range. That range runs north west from rocket in 1971. Prospero is still in orbit. Woomera, over Giles, and finishes at Talgarno on the West Australian Guided weapons tested at Woomera included: , , coast south of Broome. But the complete Europa Rocket was , , , , , (an also the subject of a number of test firings down a second range Australian designed and built anti- weapon still in which runs almost due north from Woomera, across the northern service today), Firestreak, , Rapier, and Australian coast, over New Guinea and finishing just beyond the (an Australian designed and built anti- weapon). The Jindivik Equator. It was down this range that four firings of Europa with pilotless drone target aircraft (which was also Australian designed dummy upper stages and a dummy satellite were made. This was and built) was tested at Woomera, and is still in service today. followed by three more firings with all stages live, with the intention The entire history of the Anglo/Australian Joint Operational Project of launching a dummy satellite into orbit. All of those last three at Woomera, 1946-1980, is available in a book titled “Fire across the firings were unsuccessful due to failures in the German third stage Desert”. Written by Peter Morton, it is available from the Woomera and the Italian satellite. Visitor Centre for about $60. Each of our finds therefore had probably come from one or other of And, if you have ever stayed at the ELDO Hotel in Woomera, and the failed Europa Rocket launches down that northern range. wondered how it got its name: ELDO stands for “European Launcher The history of Woomera is of course a fascinating subject in itself. It Development Organisation”. Europa was their primary baby, but was first mooted in 1945 and became an operational, joint Anglo/ with a British first stage, a French second stage, a German third Australian project in 1947. In the 1950’s it served as a base for stage and an Italian satellite in the nose cone, it should have been, the British atomic tests conducted at Emu and Maralinga. and was, a recipe for failure. It rose to its glory days during the 1960’s and 70’s and was finally Whilst the joint project came to an end in 1980, and most of the disbanded as a joint operation in 1980. At its height, Woomera and range infrastructure was removed from Woomera and other the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury in South Australia locations, (including the never used mess halls, kitchens, sleeping employed in excess of 6,500 people. Something to the order of quarters and recreational facilities at Talgarno), Woomera continues three and a quarter billion Australian dollars (in 1987 money) was as a test facility and range to this day. Recent projects have included expended on the joint project. tests of a Japanese reusable space vehicle, and a new design French Over 13,000 separate trials were conducted at Woomera over ram jet engine. its primary operational life. Rockets tested on the range varied TLCC NEWS JUNE 2010 37 If you are really keen to try and find some never previously located The rocket nose cones crashed rockets, I have it on reliable authority that there are still at Jervois Station about thirty of them laying somewhere out in the Great Sandy Desert. Most of the ones that crashed in The old rocket shelter the more developed pastoral areas of at Jervois Station the two rocket ranges have been found and their major components removed. Some were found by stockmen, others (and this is the primary finding source these days) have been accidentally found by helicopter pilots rounding up stock in remote areas. And don’t forget, if you ever call in to Jervois Station on the Plenty Highway, they have a couple of rocket nose cones on display. Additionally, the rocket shelter that Woomera built for them, (and for each of the pastoral properties under the flight paths), is still largely intact and can be inspected on request. Whilst Woomera built the shelters to provide protection from rockets falling out of the sky, legend has it that far from being inside the shelters each time there was a rocket launch, the pastoralists stood on top of them to get a better view of the passing rockets! So the next time you are traveling in some of the very remote areas which were part of the original Woomera Rocket Ranges and you see something glinting in the sunlight in the bush: STOP, and go and have a look, you never know what you might find. John Greig

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